Container having cover locking means



y 3, 1951 F. L. RUSHING EI'AL CONTAINER mwmc; COVER LOCKING MEANS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 14, 1946 Y FIG. 4.

FIG. I.

FIG. 2.

INVENTORS.

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'IIIIIIIIII July 3, 1951 Filed March 14, 1946 FIG. 8.

I IIIIIIIIIIA ll/ F. RUSHING EI'AL CONTAINER HAVING COVER LOCKING MEANS2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 3, 1951 2,559,323 CONTAINER HAVING COVERLOCKING MEANS Fred L. Rushing, Tampa, Fla., and Benjamin M. Williams,St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Gaylord Container Corporation ration ofMaryland St. Louis, Mo., a corpo- Application March 14, 1946, Serial No.654,420

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to containers, particularly folded-blank cartonsof the kind comprising a body and a slip cover therefor. The principalobject of the present invention is to provide for automatically lockingthe slip cover to the body without the use of separate fastening membersand to provide for quickly and easily releasing the automatic coverlocking means. Other objects are simplicity and cheapness ofconstruction and compactness of design. The invention consists in thecarton and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a carton embodying our invention, a portion ofthe cover being shown broken away,

Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevational views of the carton,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view thereof,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line5-5 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line6-6 in Fig. 3,

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on the lineI-1 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing the cover detached from thebody,

Fig. 9 is a similar view, showing the cover before it is fully seated onthe body,

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the blank from which the cover is formed; and

Fig. 11 is a plan view of a portion of the blank from which the body isformed.

In the accompanying drawings, our invention is shown embodied in ashipping carton comprising a tubular body A and a slip cover B therefor,both made of folded-blanks of corrugated board, fiberboard or otherbendable material, The body A of the carton comprises a rectangularbottom I and four side walls 2 with upper marginal flaps 3. These flapspreferably extend from end to end of the side walls 2 and are adapted tobe bent or folded downwardly along the outside faces thereof. The flaps3 have horizontally elongated rectangular openings 4 cut thereinsubstantially midway between the top and bottom edges thereof. The cutswhich define the upper edges of the openings 4 in the flaps 3 extendonly partway through the thickness thereof, so as to provide hinged tabs5 along the upper edge of said openings.

The slip cover B preferably comprises a rectangular top 6 having a rimincluding two depending opposite side panels I with inwardly bentend'flaps 8, and two depending opposite side panels 9 that lie againstthe outside faces of said end flaps and have upturned lower marginalflaps ID that lie against the inside faces thereof. As shown in thedrawings, the upturned marginal flaps l0 have lugs II on the upper edgesthereof that fit in vertical openings 12 provided therefor in the toppanel 6 of the cover B and serve to lock said flaps in place.

The upturned lower marginal flaps III of the side panels 9 of the coverB are slit and cut, as at l3, to provide partly detached upstandingtongues or'tabs l4 thereon. The locking tongues l4 are sprung out of theplane of the flaps I0 into an upwardl and inwardly inclined positionwhen said flaps are bent upwardly around the lower edges of the endflaps 8 and locked into position against the inside faces thereof. Inthis position of the locking flaps I0. the upper edges thereof areoffset inwardly on the inside faces of the upturned lower marginal flapsHI and form horizontal ledges or shoulders thereon.

In the uncovered position of the body A, the fiaps 3 along the uppermarginal edges of the side walls-thereof incline outwardly anddownwardly and the tabs 5 hinged to the upper edges of the openings 4 insaid flaps are bent upwardly on the inner sides thereof. The slip coverB is applied to the body A by telescoping it over the downwardly andoutwardly inclined upper marginal flaps 3 so as to force said flaps toswing downwardly and inwardly alongside the side walls 2 of said bodywith the upturned tabs 5 clamped between said side walls and theirdown-turned flaps. During this operation, the inwardly and upwardlyinclined locking tongues l4 on the inner faces of the upturned rim flapsIll of the cover B slide downwardly along the outer faces of thecorresponding body flaps 3 and then snap into the openings 4 therein andthus automatically lock said cover to the body A. In the seated positionof the cover B, the locking tongues l4 on two opposite sides thereofextend into the openings 4 in the flaps 3 on the corresponding sides ofthe body A with the upper edges of said locking tongues in abuttingrelation to the upper edges of said openings, thus preventing removal ofsaid cover from said body. When it is desired to remove the cover B toinspect Or remove the contents of the carton, the fingers are preferablyslipped upwardly between the upturned rim flaps ID of the cover and theadjacent body flaps 3 and the completely concealed locking tongues l4 3are pressed outwardly clear of the opening 4 in said body flaps into theplane of said rim flaps, thereby permitting the cover to be lifted offthe body A. The cover may also be unlocked by slipping the fingersupwardly between side walls 2 of the body and the flaps 3 thereof andforcing the locking tongues 14 out of the openings 4 in said flaps. Theupturned tabs 5 along the upper edges of the openings 4 in thedownturned body flaps 3 serve to strengthen and stiffen the carton abovesaid openings and to prevent the locking tongues I4 from slidingupwardly between said flaps and the sidewalls 2 of the body; and saidtabs also serve to space said flaps from said side walls below saidopenings and thus provide spaces for the fingers when they are insertedbetween the side walls of the body flaps to disengage said lockingtongues.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described construction admits ofconsiderable modification without departing from the invention.Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the precise constructionshown and described.

What we claim is:

1. A carton comprising a body and a slip cover therefor, said bodyincluding side walls having upper marginal flaps folded downwardly onthe outer sides thereof and said slip cover including depending sidepanels with lower marginal flaps folded upwardly on the inner sidesthereof and adapted, when said cover is closed, to cover said uppermarginal flaps, said downwardly folded upper marginal flaps havingopenings therethrough, said upwardly folded lower marginal flaps havingspring locking tongues that incline upwardly and inwardly from the bodyopposing faces thereof and are adapted, when the cover is closed, tosnap into said openings with their upper ends parallel and in abuttingrelation to the upper edges thereof and are adapted to be disengagedfrom said openings by inserting the fingers upwardly between said lowerand upper marginal flaps or between the latter and said side walls andpressing outwardly on said tongues, said downwardly folded uppermarginal flaps having tabs that are folded upwardly from the upper edgesof the openings therein between said flaps and the side walls of saidbody and serve to space said flaps from said sidewalls and providefinger space therebetween below said openings and to increase thethickness of said flaps along the upper edges of their tongue receivingopenngs.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said locking tongues arestruck from said upwardly folded lower marginal flaps of said sidepanels of said cover and said depending side panels completely cover andconceal said locking tongues and the openings engaged thereby when thecover is closed.

FRED L. RUSHING.

BENJAMIN M, WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,582,375 Bliss Apr. 27, 19262,025,589 Huye Dec. 24, 1935 2,358,614 Arbuthnot Sept. 19, 19442,373,730 Williamson et a1. Apr. 17, 1945 2,407,463 Williams Sept.10,1946 2,412,402 Huye Dec. 10, 1946 2,412,798 Blackman Dec. 17, 19462,456,841 Rushing Dec. 21, 1948

